Hi everyone and welcome to Spiritual Sobriety.
I'm your host Chris McDuffie.
Today's lesson is a deeper dive into the topic of wise view.
The Buddha placed wise view as the very first of his eight suggestions and stated that no other suggestion of the Noble Eightfold Path is more important than that of wise view.
He saw it as an essential starting point for decreasing our suffering and cultivating joy and happiness.
In short,
Wise view is the beginning and the end of the entire journey on the middle path.
As men and women in recovery from trauma,
Addiction,
And codependency,
We can benefit greatly from the suggestions that spiritual pathways like Buddhism and the Twelve Steps offer us.
The Four Noble Truths help us liberate our mind from the fear-based ego,
From our anxiety,
And our past trauma.
My previous podcast,
Wise View Part 1,
Provided an introduction to Buddha's first objective of the Noble Eightfold Path or the Middle Way.
Today's discussion will look specifically at Buddhist scholar Joseph Goldstein's work on wise view.
I encourage you to read his books,
Listen to his podcasts,
And even consider attending retreats at Insight Meditation Society Retreat Center,
Founded by himself and his friend and colleague Sharon Salzberg,
And it's located in Massachusetts.
Joseph Goldstein shares for us Buddha's declaration of the importance of wise view,
Quote,
Just as the dawn is the forerunner and precursor to the rising sun,
So is right view the forerunner and precursor for breakthrough to the Four Noble Truths.
That is quite a powerful statement from Buddha and tells us that it is critically important to maintain a clear vision and a wise view of every situation that we face throughout each inhale and each exhale.
Goldstein helps us understand that the first two Noble Truths are Buddha's attempts to set the direction for the entire path toward non-suffering.
The Buddha's own explanation of right view is,
Quote,
It is the understanding of Dukkha,
Its causes and its cessation,
And the way to end suffering.
The Spiritual Sobriety Podcast is devoted to honoring the powerful suggestions of Buddhism and 12-step programs.
The more I study each spiritual pathway,
I am in awe of the beauty and grace by which each path helps us bring an end to our suffering.
We know that every path starts with a step,
And every journey accomplished by taking a step one at a time.
Both the 12-step program and the eight steps of the Noble Eightfold Path begin with right view.
Joseph Goldstein shares,
If we have the wrong view of our goal,
We will wander lost for a long,
Long time.
Consider for a moment how steps one,
Two,
And three,
And wise view,
Help set the direction for the entire path of spirituality.
Now consider how steps four,
Five,
Six,
Seven,
And eight,
As well as the remaining six suggestions of the Noble Eightfold Path,
Help keep us going in the right direction.
You may remember a few podcast lessons ago that I mentioned that you will often see in the Noble Eightfold Path suggestions that the term starts with either right or wise.
Indeed the terms are meant to be synonymous.
However,
If we look at each word independently,
It seems to me that we could benefit from applying both terms as separate degrees of clarity to each of Buddha's eight suggestions.
We need to have both the wisdom to see our options and the right or correct vision to help us choose actions that are based upon our values,
The 12-step principles,
And loving kindness.
Our goal is to respond,
Not to react to each situation.
We need to see the obstacles in front of us,
And we need to see our best means of responding.
I joke with my clients that we call firemen and firewomen and policemen and policewomen first responders,
Not first reactors.
Ideally they are skilled due to their regimen of practicing,
And these practices help them to remain calm under pressure and efficient in meeting their goal.
Joseph Goldstein helps us learn the importance of wise views to chief aims.
First he identifies that the right view helps us see or illuminate what is happening,
That is our automatic thoughts and our emotions that are already rising in each moment.
Second he identifies right view helps us to understand what we are thinking and feeling.
So let's use the example of a season 12 step sponsor who recognizes in a new sponsee who doesn't yet have the wisdom nor the understanding of the power of their addiction.
Not only are we as the sponsor helping ourselves manifest and seeing and understanding,
But we for our example are also becoming increasingly more wise and skilled in helping others learn to become aware of their shortcomings as well as how to respond and not react for themselves.
Now consider what do we do when others in our lives do not see what we want them to see.
Here the Serenity Prayer helps me better understand several key points.
1.
My locus of control includes only my hands,
My feet and my mouth.
2.
I can't make anyone get or stay sober.
And 3.
I can develop compassion for myself and others when I realize that I had not responded wisely or when others have not yet cultivated their own wise or right view.
4.
Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change and the courage to change the things that I can.
In the Serenity Prayer we see that we have the power of what Buddhas call wise view and wise action.
For now let's connect wise view and wise action from a 12 step perspective.
Steps 8,
9 and 10 suggest that when we recognize that we have hurt someone through our actions or inactions we see the value and importance of making an immediate amends.
Yet another powerful example of the synergy between Buddhist principles of wise view and wise action and the 12 step programs is this reminder from AA's Daily Reflections entitled A Daily Tune Up.
Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.
So whether you choose God or Buddhist psychology that one quote tells me that all I need to know in order to stay on the path of spiritual sobriety.
I hope that you have found today's suggestion and discussion helpful in enhancing your pathway of spiritual sobriety.
May you be happy,
Healthy,
Safe and free from harm.
Please be sure to follow Spiritual Sobriety and send us your comments and feedback.
Take care.
